Tiger-Rory 'bromance': Can sports rivals really be friends?

By Gary Morley, CNN

Updated 1403 GMT (2203 HKT) December 6, 2012

Great sporting rivalries14 photos

Best buddies? – Tiger Woods, right, congratulates Rory McIlroy after Europe's remarkable victory over the U.S. on the final day of the 2012 Ryder Cup in September. The two are big rivals on the golf course, but a friendship has also blossomed this year.

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Great sporting rivalries14 photos

Too close? – Golf great Nick Faldo has questioned whether they should be so close. Sports psychologist Dan Abrahams says they would benefit from keeping a bit of distance. "In the heat of battle it becomes more difficult to emotionally detach yourself from that person's performance if you're good friends with that person," he told CNN.

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Great sporting rivalries14 photos

Beating your idol – McIlroy has admitted idolizing Woods as a boy, but has now usurped him as golf's No. 1. "Once they step on the first tee, those competitive juices are flowing and they're focused either on their own game or beating each other," Abrahams said.

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Great sporting rivalries14 photos

Nicklaus vs. Palmer – They are following in golf's great tradition of rivalries -- most notably Jack Nicklaus, left, and Arnold Palmer. "The power of the mind and the capability of that mental discipline is what separates the good from the great," sports leadership expert Khoi Tu told CNN. "That might allow them to become friends with people off the course, but not on the course."

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Great sporting rivalries14 photos

Prost vs. Senna – Formula One's greatest rivalry was between Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna. "They absolutely detested each other," Tu says. "They were two very different personalities, and often that's one of the features of great sporting rivalries: Fire and ice."

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Great sporting rivalries14 photos

Alonso vs. Vettel – Fernando Alonso, left, has now twice been beaten to the F1 championship by Sebastian Vettel -- who is widely rumored to be his teammate at Ferrari come 2014. "When you get two No. 1 drivers together with no team rules, then the sparks can really fly," Tu says. "It's rare for them to be good mates. They may get along, they may trust and respect each other in a professional capacity, but hanging out is a different issue."

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Great sporting rivalries14 photos

F1 friendly – Former world champion Jackie Stewart, seen here playing with the children of F1 rival Graham Hill, was remarkably friendly with his peers, Tu says. "He was incredibly fond of a number of people who drove with him. That partly is because there was a clearer distinction of him being a number one and them being number two drivers."

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Great sporting rivalries14 photos

Murray vs. Djokovic – A new rivalry has grown in tennis this year between U.S. Open and Olympic champion Andy Murray, left, and childhood friend Novak Djokovic, the world No. 1. "People say that Murray and Djokovic are close but I think it's rare," Tu says. "The best sporting rivalries are the ones where there are these very distinct, almost opposite personalities, but they're very close in terms of their competence."

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Great sporting rivalries14 photos

Nadal vs. Federer – Rafael Nadal, left, ended the tennis dominance of Roger Federer but they have publicly expressed their friendship despite reports of arguments about on-tour issues. "As people get older they've done so much, broken lots of records, I think that competitive edge is slightly dulled," Tu says. "That makes it easier to be friendlier. You can keep your dignity if you're not crying every time you lose to a younger, faster athlete."

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Great sporting rivalries14 photos

Navratilova vs. Evert – Martina Navratilova, left, and Chris Evert had one of the biggest rivalries in women's tennis. "They ended up as good buddies, but that was when the battling had been done," Tu says. "All of the respect and friendship you get in sport comes through competence first -- ' I know how hard it is to be this good, so I respect them for that.' "

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Great sporting rivalries14 photos

McEnroe vs. Borg – Fiery American John McEnroe, left, and ice-cool Swede Bjorn Borg created an iconic tennis rivalry. "When those two collided, at the height of tennis perfection, that's when the audience is really enthused and enthralled," Tu says. "To get that rivalry, they have to leave any friendship on the sidelines."

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Great sporting rivalries14 photos

Serena vs. Venus – Sometimes you get two great athletes, but they are too close to be proper rivals -- such as tennis star Serena Williams, left, and her sister Venus. "The great things about sport is the sense of competition, the uncertainty of the outcome, the fairness of the playing field," Tu says. "You might be able to suspend enough of your fraternal or sisterly love to play a decent game of tennis but it won't reach the heights of the rivalries that make the sport."

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Great sporting rivalries14 photos

Ali vs. Frazier – Muhammad Ali, left, "demonized" Joe Frazier to hype up their fights despite being showed respect outside the ring by his rival. "He came up with the gorilla term to create a spectacle, which he knew was important, but it revved himself up too," Tu says. "He needed to have a real enemy. By the end of the (Manila) fight, he said that Frazier brought out the best of him."

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Great sporting rivalries14 photos

Messi vs. Ronaldo – Then there's modern football's greatest rivalry -- Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. "I'm not sure Messi is a rival with anyone, he still has that unique joy of just playing," Tu says. "But I think with Ronaldo, the truth is Messi is his nemesis -- and the fact that Messi doesn't care makes it even worse."

Story highlights

Sports leadership expert says their rivalry depends on not becoming too close

Empathy for fellow competitors can dull their "killer instinct"

Psychologist says some top European golfers have been "too friendly"

Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso -- this year has witnessed the evolution of some classic rivalries that bode for an intriguing 2013 sporting calendar.

Will they become the new Nicklaus-Palmer, Borg-McEnroe, Federer-Nadal or Prost-Senna -- or will an apparent tendency towards friendliness dampen the sparks that are so vital in a true clash of competitive egos?

The relationship between Woods and his heir apparent as golf's biggest star is already showing signs of an unexpected "bromance".

"I think it's sort of evolved since Abu Dhabi at the start of this year," McIlroy told CNN's Living Golf when the duo sat down for a joint interview.

"I'd played with him before but never really got a chance to speak to him in depth. I think we both have a lot in common -- we're both big sports fans and I think our relationship has evolved from there because we've played together quite a lot this year.

"It's been great for me to get to know him and maybe try and pick up a few things and learn from him too."

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McIlroy on top of the world 8 photos

McIlroy on top of the world8 photos

Icing on the cake – Rory McIlroy capped a sensational year with victory at the Dubai World Championship on Sunday. The Northern Irishman won five tournaments in 2012, including his second major, topped the money list on both the PGA and European Tours and ended the season as the world's No. 1 player.

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McIlroy on top of the world8 photos

Streets ahead – After a solid start to the season McIlroy's year took off with victory at the Honda Classic in March. By holding off a chasing pack that included Tiger Woods and Keegan Bradley, the 23-year-old became world No. 1 for the first time in his career.

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McIlroy on top of the world8 photos

Major success – After a mid-season slump, McIlroy roared back to form with an eight-shot victory at the PGA Championship to seal his second major triumph. It was the biggest winning margin in majors history, as he took the record from Jack Nicklaus -- the game's greatest ever player.

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McIlroy on top of the world8 photos

The real deal – McIlroy was almost unstoppable now as he secured victory at the Deutsche Bank Championship to take the lead in the PGA Tour's Fed Ex Cup -- the finale to their regular season.

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McIlroy on top of the world8 photos

Cooking on gas – The following week the 23-year-old was in the winner's circle again, this time taking top honors at the BMW Championship. He became the first player to record back to back victories on the PGA Tour since Tiger Woods in 2009.

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McIlroy on top of the world8 photos

Taming Tiger – McIlroy's friendship with Tiger Woods blossomed during the 2012 season. The two even took each other on at an exhibition tournament in China in front of a huge crowd. McIlroy won by one shot. Both players reportedly shared $3 million for taking part.

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McIlroy on top of the world8 photos

Miracle of Medinah – If McIlroy was on song in the individual stakes, he more than played his part in Europe's stunning comeback to win the Ryder Cup at Medinah in Chicago. McIlroy nearly forfeited his singles match by missing the start due to confusion over time zones, but earned a vital point for his side by beating Keegan Bradley as Europe eventually came back from 10-6 down to win 14 1/2 to 13 1/2.

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McIlroy on top of the world8 photos

Lucky charm – McIlroy was watched every step of the way in Dubai by his girlfriend -- tennis star Caroline Wozniacki.

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They snapped at each other via the media, and Woods' former caddy Steve Williams ramped up the tension with some choice remarks to the press and and fans from which even his employer had to hastily distance himself.

Friendly enemies

But Woods, now 36, seems much happier in competition with McIlroy despite the 23-year-old being poised to usurp him as Nike's biggest golf endorsement.

"We've battled each other a few times, but we have a lot in common," Woods said. "Granted, there's an age difference but I had a huge age difference with my other good friend Mark O'Meara, but we had so much in common.

"I think our relationship will certainly grow over the years, but so too will our competitiveness -- I don't think that's going to change."

However, while Woods is good friends with O'Meara, a man almost 20 years his senior, they were never really on-course rivals despite the older American's two major triumphs in 1998 -- a year of highs that he never repeated.

But if Woods and McIlroy are to become truly great adversaries along the lines of Nicklaus-Tom Watson and Ben Hogan-Sam Snead then they can't afford to become too cosy, according to sports leadership expert Khoi Tu.

"At the extreme, the ability to defeat your opponent, to crush them, requires huge mental discipline," said Tu, whose book "Superteams" features the F1-dominating Ferrari/Schumacher era and the 2010 Ryder Cup-winning team captained by European golf icon Colin Montgomerie.

"As soon as you begin empathizing with your competitor, you may not have that killer instinct," Tu told CNN. "Great sporting rivalries bring out the best in both players. Great sporting friendships is a great tactic for one and not the other.

"If Rory becomes a genuine rival as opposed to the rival of the moment, then I think Tiger will find it hard not to compete in every dimension possible.

"It's in his DNA, it's what makes him a great competitor. In many respects the best thing about it would be if they did become real rivals, if there was a sense of abrasion or friction -- a sense that sparks fly. It would do wonders for the sport."

As Nicklaus once said of Palmer: "We are adversarial friends or friendly enemies. All our lives we've competed against each other. Arnold and I fight like the devil about stuff."

Duel at Jinsha Lake 11 photos

Duel at Jinsha Lake11 photos

Golden Gong – Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods look on in amusement before banging a ceremonial gong to mark the start of their "Duel at Jinsha Lake."

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Duel at Jinsha Lake11 photos

Tiger Paw – Both McIlroy and Woods, pictured above, had their handprints immortalized in clay as a lavish ceremony featuring drum majorettes and fireworks preceded their clash in the Chinese city Zhengzhou.

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Duel at Jinsha Lake11 photos

Number One – World No. 1 McIlroy cannot keep a straight face as the players pose at the first green, ahead of a clash reported to be paying the pair a combined total of $2 million.

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Duel at Jinsha Lake11 photos

"Barely-controlled chaos" – "The scene was barely-controlled chaos," wrote Sports Illustrated's Alan Shipnuck. "Some 3,000 fans streamed across the fairways, with soldiers locking arms in a human fence to keep the throngs off the greens."

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Duel at Jinsha Lake11 photos

High Jinks – A course marshall practices kung fu as she awaits the golfers' arrival.

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Duel at Jinsha Lake11 photos

Firing Line – "On the tee boxes there were so many camera clicks it sounded like machine gun fire," Shipnuck wrote.

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Duel at Jinsha Lake11 photos

Model Display – Local golf fans talk with one of the models who inhabited the greens in their evening wear in scenes seldom seen on any golf course.

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Duel at Jinsha Lake11 photos

Water Hazard – Woods tries to maintain focus as a luxury boat passes by, with the clubhouse car park also boasting a collection of Rolls-Royces, Ferraris, Aston Martins and Maseratis.

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Duel at Jinsha Lake11 photos

Next Generation? – Young fans show their support for McIlroy and Woods in a country that is seen as the next great market for golf to conquer.

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Duel at Jinsha Lake11 photos

On the Charge – McIlroy never trailed Woods after starting with a birdie, going on to card a five-under-par 67 -- one less than the world No. 2.

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Duel at Jinsha Lake11 photos

Job Done – McIlroy awaits his trophy on a day that coincided with the launch of the multi-million-dollar "Golf Villas" to be built around the Jinsha Lake course.

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Tennis stars Murray and Djokovic have been friends since childhood, but they have still maintained a ferocious on-court rivalry that this year has reached towards the heights of predecessors such as Federer-Nadal, Borg-McEnroe and Navratilova-Evert.

Roger Federer at first struggled when Rafael Nadal ended his complete domination of the men's game, but the duo now publicly insist they are firm friends following years of epic clashes -- despite an apparent spat this year over the Spaniard's desire for changes to be made on the ATP Tour.

"Great shared experiences build great bonds between people," Tu says. "That bond is different than friendship. It's a bond of respect."

Bitter feud

For Woods and McIlroy there is every incentive to cast themselves as friends and rivals.

Already they have been lured into playing a lucrative exhibition clash in one of golf's key markets, China, that led them to withdraw from a premier European Tour event in the same country later that week.

"They both just got huge paydays in China, they may be putting a slight front on that camaraderie," sports psychologist Dan Abrahams told CNN.

"In a sport like golf, having a spat with a rival isn't seen as being the right thing, whereas (in soccer) Alex Ferguson having a spat with (rival manager) Arsene Wenger, that seems to be quite normal."

Abrahams argues some of McIlroy's older European peers such as Luke Donald, Lee Westwood and Darren Clarke -- who have won only one major title between them -- may have suffered from their on-tour friendship.

"Speaking with a lot of golf coaches, that generation have been perhaps a bit too friendly with each other," said Abrahams.

"If you compare them with Nick Faldo, he was renowned for keeping himself quite isolated, which was a catalyst for his competitiveness. I think keeping your distance from competitors can be a useful thing."

Faldo has questioned the apparent friendship of golf's two biggest names, but McIlroy played down the criticism.

"You're on tour long enough and you don't need enemies out there, you want to have friends," the Northern Irishman told CNN.

"Life on tour can get a bit lonely at times and you wanna have guys that you can go out for dinner with. You're seeing most of the guys each week and you've got to have someone to talk to. If that's what worked for Faldo then great, but I don't think it would work for me."

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In the high-octane world of Formula One, Alonso is known for his clashes with fellow drivers -- he left McLaren after only one season following a bitter feud with teammate Lewis Hamilton.

However, this year the Spaniard has been much more respectful of Vettel, despite Ferrari's united front in downplaying the achievements of Red Bull's history-making triple world champion.

Recalibrating sport

Rumors persist that the Italian marque wants to sign Vettel for the 2014 season, which would be an acid test for relations between the two drivers.

"When you get two No. 1 drivers together with no team rules, then the sparks can really fly," says Tu, who has worked with Ferrari and former F1 world champion Jackie Stewart.

"It's rare for them to be good mates. They may get along, they may trust and respect each other in a professional capacity, but hanging out is a different issue."

Seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, who has now retired for a second time, was known for his win-at-all costs approach at Ferrari but such an attitude is becoming increasingly unacceptable for sports fans, says Tu.

Contrast the feelgood factor of the London 2012 Olympics with the demonization of Lance Armstrong, who has refused to contest allegations of systematic doping during his time as cycling's tour de force.

"There is, at the moment, a very fine line that sport is treading -- this desire and ambition to win, but not to do so at all costs," says Tu.

"Someone like Schumacher, his desire to win would take him to the dark side. That type of willingness to do whatever it takes is a feature of champions. Unmoderated, it's pretty dangerous for the game.

"We've just been through a period of excess and egregious behavior from many corporates -- but equally sporting teams as well. The desire to win, and the merits and rewards of winning, maybe outweighed the joy of winning.

"I think sport is recalibrating. That's why the Olympics made everyone so happy. There was a sense that winning was important, but not necessarily at all costs -- it's the sportsmanship sometimes that makes the bigger story."